Water closet



Jan.` 4, 1949.

` WATER cLosET Filed March 27, 1946 R. A. PARK 2 Sheet s-Sheet Jl INVENTOR. Ross A. Park ATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1949. R Af lPARK 42,458,096

WATER cLosET Filed March 27, 1946 4 V2V Sheets-Sheet 2 INI/ENTOR.

Ross A. Park ATTOR NE Y Patented Jan. 4, 1949 U N l TED STATES PATENT O FFI CE.a

WATER CL'OSET Ross-A. Park, Detroit, Mich'.-

Application March'27, 1946, Serial'No. 657,480'

(CL y'1--`40) Claims.

improvement refers particularly to means of controlling the lush valve in the water tank, which lis a part ofthe water closet combination.

Theob'ject of my invention is to provide-means at the-lower level of theftankto discharge water therefrom'ffor` the purpose of flushing the bowl.

Another object of my yinvention is toprovide automatic means Within the tank for a more effective closing of`l the 'ilusli valve andto eliminate incidental noises which often emanate from the valve during the period of its prolonged seating.

Another object is to provide this improvement without in the main departingiromthe conventional design ofwater closets.

Other advantages` of `the novel features and the combination of parts shownby me willbecome*` obvious `from the description of `my invention. I shall now supply said description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in` which:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly inside elevation andl partlyl in section, showing my improved" Water closet combination.

Fig. 2 is asectionalview` oftheelements ofmy combination taken on line `d a ofA Fig; 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a detail' pertaining toV the mounting of a tank,which isa part of my combination, said View being taken 'on line b--li ofJFig.. 1.

Fig. `4 is a sectional view Iofa detail taken on lineic--cmf Fig. 2..

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a detail taken onfline d-d of Figml. i

Fig. 6 is a; side eleyationl pertaining tothe shaft and"` crank assembly,"whichareaipart .of mycombination and taken `on line e-e cifll'igrz` Fig. 4'7 isfa view pertaining.tothe-mounting of a handle, said view-being takenon vline, ff-f of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged. sectional view-of` a dis-` charge element of my combination astaken on line g--g of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is asectional view takenl on line hl-h of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is 'an enlargedsectionaliview Ofel'ements shown in Fig; 8L

Fig. I1' is anenlarged 'sectional' view of an automatic timer taken on line lc-lcof-Figl Fig. 13v is a sectional viewftaken on line Z-Z of Fig. 11.

Fig; 14 is a sectional' view on line m--m of Fig. 13.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.y

Ingeneral, the 4Water closetto which my'improvement refers includes a toilet boWllU and a water tank II` mounted on the flat surface. of the rearr part I2 ofi'said bowl. The tank is` -made in the conventional rectangular form but includes a horizontal partition I3 so that the interiorof said tank is sub-dividediinto the upper4 chamber I '4, which is' the main chamber therein, and the lower auxiliary chamber I5. Water from' a supply source is delivered into the upper chamber by lmeansof a pipe I6 the. supply `being controlledin the'usual 'manner by means ofk a float |11 operating valve I8in the upper. end of. said pipe IB. Fittedinto a circular aperture in Isaid partition I 3 and into a similar aperture in the bottom I9 of the lower chamber, is a cylinder 20. ToA insure awater-tight iit of the. cylinder, agasket '2| is employed in the. junction of the cylinder with the partition I3, and another. gasket 22 on the underside of bottom.. I9,` thel gasket being retained in place by lock 'nut 23. and an intermediate annular. member 24.

The cylinder, open at its upper. 'end,is provided at said end with an annular valve seat 25 for reception ofa discharge lvalve 26, mounted. on a. steml 2l. 'The stem is held in a perpendicularly slideable position by means'oi' a bearingr 28 1ocatedlin` the' upper part of'cylind'e'r` 2D. Atthe lower end, Where said cylinder formsa discharge port theA cylinder is equipped with an inwardly threaded ring 29 fltting'over the outer surface.

of the cylinder; th'ering including an inwardly extending Vspider '30. The latter, centrally located with respect to. the; cylinder, includes aA tubular guide 3| embracinga liner 32. The liner is threadedexternally atits lowerend and is split The jaws-of'thethnnble are designedto grip the outer'sheathA-Mfofa cable 36.

Ity win be notedtnat a plurality.; of names. si projectf'inward-ly into: the cylinder atlits upper.'

end. The bam'es Varetongue"-shaizied` plates, partly severed from the wall of the cylinder of which they area part, and pushed inwardly to form an inclineas shown in the drawings. This leaves an aperture 39 above each baille. At the lower level, just above the bottom of the upper charnber I 4, the wall of cylinder 29 is provided with plurality of smaller holes 39.

I shall now describe the mechanism devised by me to operatevalve 26 in cylinder 29. The mechanism is mounted on the flat top 60 of rear por tion |2 of bowl I9. It includes a crank shaft 4I disposed horizontally in bearings 42, set in a housing 43 rising upwardly above said top 69. The shaft includes cranks 44 and 45 and levers 46 and 41, respectively, the purpose of the levers being to increase the throw of the cranks. Levei` 41, which normally slants upwardly, as shown in Fig. 6, is connected at its upper end to cable 36` which, covered by a sheath 49, extends downA Y wardly below top 69 into the interior of the rear portion I2 of bowl II) and therefrom'fleads' up* wardly to be connected to stern 21 in cylinder 20. k

as already described.

The purpose of the cable is to serve as a means j of lifting valve 26, upwardly from its seat 25 to a point 26a, indi-cated in dotted lines. Numeral 48 indicates a nipple on top 69 of member I2 for guidance of cable 36. A handle 49 attached to shaft 4|, serves to actuate vsaid shaft andcable 36 and by means thereof said valve 26.

Lever 46 is in turn connected to acable 50 leading to the timing mechanism, generally indicated in Fig. 2 by numeral 5|. .The purpose of the timing mechanism, or timer, is to act `upon the shaft and by means thereof upon Valve 26 and to effect its closingwith a snap, to prevent the gurgling and sizzling sounds which are ordinarily produced by closing of the valve in the last stages of the closing. The mechanisrnincludes a cylindrical cup 52 having a uniformv inner diameter, with an exception of a portion in its upper part, where the diameter expands suddenly as shown by numeral 53. Slidably disposed within the cup is a piston 54 provided with valves 55 and a vent 56. The piston is ad-apted to beA moved downwardly towards the bottom of the cup against the tension of a spring 63, said spring being coiled around tubes |54` and 65, which aredisposed in a telescopic collapsible relation with respect to each other. The last named tube 65 is aiixed axially in an extension socket 66 at the bottom of cup 52. The cup is closed at the top by a plug 51, threaded into an annular member 58 skirting the upper rim of said cup. Cable 50 reaches into the cup towards piston 54 through an axial aperture in the plug and in a packing 59 centrally located therein. The plug reduced in diameter in its upper portion, screws into a brushing 6| which is secured in a circular opening in top 69 of bowl I 0.by means of a lock nut 62. l j

When shaft 4| is turned by means of handle 49 to actuate flush valve 26, lever 46 on crank 45l being attached at its upper end to cable 59 in a Way analogous to that shown in Fig. 6 with r spect to lever 41, will shift piston 54 downwardly against the tension of spring 63. I wish tol say at this point that the cup is lled with oil whichreaches to a point above its inner expanded portion 53. When piston 54 is moved. downwardly. valves' 55, including ball closure 61,` normally seated on funnel-like passages 68 and spaced from conning cupolas 69, permit free now of oil up wardly through said passages 68 and aperture 19 in said cupolas. When piston 54 moves' upwardly,

from a level adjoining the bottom of cup 52, the@V piston.

flow of oil from above the piston downwardly will be stopped by the balls but will be permitted only through vent 56, the area of which may be controlled by a pivoted cover 1I. As vent 56 is comparatively small, the movement of the piston upwardly, under the action of spring 63, will be retarded till said piston reaches the level of exe panded diameter 53, when oil will by-pass the piston quickly allowing the spring to expand to its full capacity.

I shall now describe the operation of my flush valve operating mechanism. It will be assumed that the upper chamber I4 of tank II is lled up with water. To flush the bowl Ill, handle 49 on `shaft 4| is depressed manually, this serving to from its seat 25, permitting water contained in chamber I4 to rush downwardly into cylinder 20.

A quantity of said water will strike baifles 31 and will be Adiverted thereby into the lower chamber I5 through apertures 38. As timer 5I is also connected to shaft 4I by means of cable 59, said cable being ailixed to lever 46 on crank 45, will push piston 54 within cup 52 downwardly, allowing oil within the cup to passupwardly through valves 55.

As will be seen from the above description, the upward push of the flush valve and the downward push of piston 54, will occur simultaneously. Assuming that handle 49 is released, spring- 63 cornpressed by the downward movement of the piston, will expand slowly, its expansion being retarded by the limited flow of oil through vent 56 in said During the period ,of expansion of said spring, water from chamber I4 will continue owing into bowl I 9. It will be understood `that as the piston will rise upwardly, it will cause shaft 4I to turn in `opposite direction to that imparted to it by the handle, which rotation, transmitted by lever 41 to cable 36, will pull valve 26 back towards its seat 25. In the last stages of `the closing with but a narrow space remaining between the valve and its seat, the flow ci water would cause a gurgling, choking noise. However,

the piston of the timer is set in cup 52 in such a manner that it will reach, on its way upwardly, the expanded inner portion 53,Y at the moment when the passage between valve 26 and its seat 25 is restricted dangerously enough to produce said objectionable noises. At this moment oil Within the lcup will by-pass piston 54 around its rim allowing spring 63 to expand suddenly. Cable 50 under the impulse of said upward shift of piston 54 will exert its thrust against lever 46, causing an equally sudden closure of flush valve 26. 1

It will be remembered that during the flushingv period a quantity of water has beendirected into chamber I5. After 'the flushing operation has been completed, said water will flow out through holes 39 into Icylinder 20 and therefrom into bowl I0 to effect a more efficient water seal by raising the contents of water still remaining in the bowl to a somewhat higher level.

"I'o conclude the description of v4my improved water closet combination, I wish to point out some minor details thereof. One of them pertainsv .being held together by means of a screw 14, as

shownln Fig. 7.v

. `Similar adjustment is desirable with respect to the seating of levers 46 and 41, as 4shown inA Fig. 6, the` splined fme'mbenwitlli Another detail pertains tothe mounting-'oit k hedip ofy the u ralltyibtf'nperlngscii ts wallfatazleve'lbelow the respective crank being shown by'V umeral 15,-..

opening T6 forthevreception cylinder 2'0'1`is oblongand-edu with gasket 1.9i ltris this gasketY that t bottom off tank `l I *may rest'. y r-Ilris construct-inafllows th'ewliofle tank to be "shifted-forwardly orl rearwardly with respect to bowl Ill. the tank serves to accommodate the head of a screw 18. The screw passes downwardly through top 60 to be secured below by a nut. The shifted position of the tank is shown in Fig. 4 by numeral Ila. Inside the tank, pipes 8D are provided to take care of overflow of water therein, said pipes leading downwardly to discharge water into the bowl.

It will be understood that some changes may be made in the construction of my improved water closet without departing from the inventive principle disclosed therein.

What I, therefore, wish to claim is as follows:

1. In a water closet including a bowl and a tank with water for iiushing said bowl, said tank having an upper and a lower chamber, means to admit water from a source of supply to the upper chamber, a float valve to control admission of water to said chamber, a cylindrical member seated in the bottom of the upper chamber and including a flush valve therein, a cable adapted to be operated by a handle to open said ush valve, baffle means Within the cylinder and aperatures in the wall thereof and above said baffles to divert a part of the volume of water into the lower chamber on opening of said flush valve, automatic mean-s responsive to the operation of the handle to close the flush valve suddenly after a lapse of time and outlet means from the lower part of the cylinder to allow outflow of water from the lower chamber into the bowl after the closing of the flush valve.

2. In a water closet including a bowl and a tank with water for flushing of the bowl and including an upper and a lower chamber, means to admit water into the upper chamber from a source of supply, a float valve to control the level of water so admitted thereto, a cylindrical outlet tube in the bottom of the upper chamber and leading to the bowl, a flush valve seated in the top of the tube, cable means to operate said flush valve, lever means to actuate said cable to open said flush valve to release water from the upper chamber, baiile means within the tube and apertures in the wall of the tube above said baflles but below the bottom of the upper chamber to divert a part of the volume of water into the lower chamber, automatic means to close the valve suddenly after a retarded closing period, and restricted outlet means in the wall of the tube to allow outflow of water from the lower chamber into the bowl after the closing of the flush valve.

3. In a water closet including a bowl and a tank with water to flush the bowl, said tank including an upper chamber and an auxiliary lower chamber, means to admit water to said upper chamber from a source of supply to a desired level within said last named chamber, a cylindrical outlet tube in the bottom thereof, said tube extending downwardly to open into the bowl, a. ush valve seated within the upper portion of the tube, cable means extending into said tube from below to operate said iiush valve in order to release water from the upper chamber into said tube, the tube being provided with a pluithe lower of'l A T-slot 11 in the bottom of tank with water to flush the bowl, said tank ,including an upper chamber and an auxiliary 'lower chamber, means to admit water to said foliamberrand a plurality of wardly f omffthefupp'er'4 `chamber `into the lower chamber; @'sliaft; mounte'di' below the tank and liaving-` a'n lever vattachedf tolfthe cable means lead'- ing to and being alilredto'thevr ush valve, handle mes'di saldi-shaft to actuate said cable means for the purposheofopening the flush valve, automaticV means responsive to the rotation of the ishaftfinlitsvalv openifg'lphaseftofclose saidvalve suddenly after a retarded cldsingiperiod, and restricted outlet mean-s in the lower portion of said tube to permit outflow of water from the lower chamber into the bowl after the closing of the flush valve.

4. In a water closet including a bowl and a tank with water for flushing said bowl, said tank having an upper and a lower chamber, means to admit water from a source of supply to the upper chamber, a float valve to control admis sion of water to said chamber, a cylindrical member disposed within the bottom of the upper chamber and extending downwardly through the lower chamber, a iush valve seated in the upper end of the cylindrical member, a cable adapted to be operated by a handle located outside the tank to open said flush Valve, balile means within the cylinder, below the location of saidl flush valve, the cylinder wall being provided with openings therein, above the baffles, to divert a part of the volume of water into the lower chamber on opening of said flush valve, automatic means responsive to the operation of the handle to close outlet means from the lower part of the cylinder ,to allow outflow of water from the lower chamber into the bowl after the closing of the flush valve. 5. In a Water closet including a bowl and a cylindrical outlet tube in the bottom thereof, said tube extending downwardly to open into the bowl, a flush valve seated within the upper portion of ,the tube, cable means extending into said tube from below to operate said flush valve in order to release water from the upper chamber into .said tube, the tube being provided with a plurality of openings in its wall at a level below the bottom of the upper chamber, and a plurality of balles within, just below said openings to divert a part of the volume of water passing downwardly from the upper chamber into the lower chamber, a shaft mounted below the tank and having a lever attached to the cable means leading to and being aixed to the flush valve, handle means on said shaft to actuate said cable means for the purpose of opening the flush valve, automatic means responsive to the rotation of the shaft in its valve opening phase to close said valve suddenly after a retarded closing period, said automatic means including a vertical oil filled cylinder disposed below said shaft, a piston axially disposed4 within the cylinder, a coiled spring under the piston, an elongated member at one end connected to a crank on the shaft and at the other end con nected to the upper surface of the piston, valve means in the piston to allow quick passage of oil on the downward movement of the piston against the tension of the spring, and a restricted opening in said piston for a retarded passage of oil on the return movement ofthe piston under the action of the spring, said cylinder including an upper portion of increased inner diameter'to per-"1 mit rapid movement of the piston on reaching' said portion, and restricted outlet means in the lower portion of said tube to permit outflow of Water from the lower chamber into the bowl after the closing of the ush valve.

ROSS A. PARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Number Klein Nov. 22, 1938 

